February 10, 1942
Glenn Miller first to be awarded a "Gold Record"
Although the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awards program wasn't launched until 1958, RCA awarded the first "Gold Record" as a publicity stunt in 1942. When "Chattanooga Choo Choo" sold over a million copies in less than three months, RCA spray painted a master copy of the record and presented the "Gold Record" to Glenn Miller on a live radio broadcast on February 10, 1942.
http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/textg/goldrecord.html